« Etone » traditional genealogist, this
man-Démosthène Raphael Messanga Ombolo has come-up with something far beyond
his wildest dreams.
In the course of his research, Messanga Ombolo, due to the
nature of his research findings, has attracted envious on-lookers upon himself.
He says « Barack Hussein Obama’s are origine of Cameroon » and of the
« Etone people» in particular. Upon hearing this researcher’s
findings, many government officials, university lecturers and other
academicians, journalists and animatorshave taken him in disgust as a result of
their jealousy towards him.
According to the thoughts of many of these people, the name
Barack Obama is equivalent to millions of CFA Francs. Therefore, as Messanga
Ombolo says he has discovered Barack Obama’s indigenous « etone family », for sure, the U.S
president will send him millions of dollars.
With this selfish thought in mind, some government officials
have gone to the extent of initiating grandiose ceremonies, call the national
pro-governmental radio and television station to come and record the event ;
all this without the concent of Messanga Ombolo who is the person who came-up
with this theory.
In the main government universities in Yaoundé, a group of
of lecturers, some doctors, others professors, have fraudulently copied
Messanga Ombolo’s research findings and sent it to a worldwide and
internationally renouned edting company [Edition L’Harmattan] in France for
publishing as though they were the intellectual proprietors of all this theory.
Démosthène Raphael Messanga Ombolo, overwhelmed by the
knowledge of these « big men » stealing his research findings,
decided to move out and spread the information to alllocal cameroonians, every
layman he could meet. This is how i met him as he was crying out his eyes on
this very bad thing these fellow doctors and professors have done. Seeing him
in this miserable state, i said i would help him get his work known to most
cameroonians and even worldwide so that we would nulify the negative actions of
these academicians who work not for the interest of science, but instead, for
their selfish desires.
This is how Messanga Ombolo engaged in radio and television
talk shows. From one radio to the other, he talked about his research findings
and how some disrespectful lecturers plan to snatch his work and make a name
for themselves.
Often in the dark, some government officials came to him and
asked for Messanga Ombolo to go public and say that the village of Barack Obama’s
ancestor who’s name is OBAM BITA is the same village from which he « the
big man » and government official is origine too. A shameless and
non-scientific act which Messanga Ombolo says he will never accept to do. That is, [Lie to the international opinion]
Again, angry of Messanga Ombolo’s refusal, these « big
men » who have government money, went ahead to corrupt journalists with
other radio and television animators. These journalists would invite Messanga
Ombolo for a gentleman and polite talk show. But, as soon as the programme
begins, when these journalists know they are « ON AIR », they will
start harrasing him with embarassing questions ;allirrelevant and nothing
to do with his work. Messanga on his side will fight back and not let himself
overwhelmed by these corrupt journalists. Most of the radio and television talk
shows in which he participates often turn into hot, frantic debates. [one
versus all]. Anonymous persons would call in the talk show via telephone and
try to discredit Messanga Ombolo’s findings. But, he would invite them to come
in personfor a normal intellectual debate face-to-face. Yet, nobody would come.
To the cameroonian government, Messanga Ombolo sent letters
presenting the project he has for the village of Barack Obama’s grand father.
What he has in mind is that the villafe, the empty tomb of « OBAM BITA »
[Barack Obama’s grand father] becomes a place of pilgrimage.-This is the part
that makes the « big men » salivate as they know a great number of
millions will be made available for this project if it is validated.
Thus, in the ministry of tourism and the ministry culture
where he submitted this project, these big government men are blocking the
advancing of Messanga Ombolo’s documentsas much as is possible. They say « Messanga
Ombolo wants to eat alone all the millions without giving them their own share »
Hence, it is better the document does not advance.
Hatred has grown up to the level where these officials, with
their ramifications all over the government apparatus, one faithful day came
and shut-down Messanga Ombolo’s business. Though he has all required documents,
legal papers that is. They came along with the national television which took
images of the closing of the business. These same images were shown in the
different televised newscasts both in French and English for everyone to see
that Messanga Ombolo has been brought down to zero. Life became like hell for
him. But, he did not give-up the fight..
On my part, i continued to hammer and disclose what Messanga
Ombolo is going through. On the internet, certain people be it in Cameroon or
abroad became interested in the plight of this man’s research findings and
project. Even the very renouned publishing house « Edition L’Harmattan »
in France could not publish the stolen story sent to them because already,
there was enough talk about Barack Obama’s ancestral family found in Cameroon.
Messanga Ombolo on his side,wrote to government institutions
about the closure of his business and the business was re-opened. He pressed
judicial charges against those behind the closure of his business. But, nothing
positive has yet come out of this judicial action. He wrote to the Cameroon
commission for human rights. From their part, he is still waiting for an
answer.
His project in the ministry of tourism demanded some
subvention so that he goes to Kenya to finalise his research given that he has
invested all his money in this research. This is exactly where these big
government men and women hold him tight.
As Barack Obama has just invited most African heads of
states, Messanga Ombolo again went to talk shows and cried out « If Barack
Obama decides to come and visit his ancestor’s ground in Cameroon, how will
this happen ? since our authorities have abandoned his grand father’s
empty tomb in the bush, and the village is in a miserable state, far in the
equatorial rainforest »
To this question, the two ministries [ministry of tourism]
and [ministry of culture] do not give a damn as to whether itis something
relevant or not. What they want is that, using the name and project of of this
genealogist-Messanga Ombolo, they can distract a great number of millions from
the government treasury. They have gone to the point of using impostors. But,
Messanga Ombolo says this situation will happen only after his death. So long
as he is still alive, he will go ahead and defend his research work and its
findings. These big men may can work as hard as they can to prevent him from
having international recognition, the inspiration of finding Obama’s ancestors
remains his. A God given inspiration.